The Write Way

No matter what your job, writing is a valuable skill. The ability to communicate your thoughts, ideas and data in a clear, concise and effective way can make the difference between being heard and being overlooked. Here are a few basic writing tips I have found helpful.

Lay out main points or ideas before beginning

Be aware/familiar with the intended audience

Never use your first draft as your final draft

ALWAYS run spell check- and then do your own check

Watch grammar and punctuation usage (especially commas)

Use the same tense throughout

Keep it simple- remove unnecessary words and sentences

Be clear- use short, declarative sentences, use plain English and avoid technical jargon

For business writing, leave out emotions, opinions and exclamation points

Use active verbs instead of passive verbs

Walk away from your writing and come back to it at a later time- chances are you will see something that needs to be clarified